• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.292-300
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• 2010

Objectives: This study attempted to explore the aging phenomena that now characterize much of Korean society, and assessed issues associated with the life satisfaction experienced during the process of aging. Methods: By employing the National Survey on the State of Life and the Desire for Welfare of the Elderly, 2004 in South Korea this study attempted to identify the factors that determine subjective life satisfaction among the elderly. The data utilized herein consisted of 3278 elderly people aged 65 years or older, from 9308 households. Results: The results of analysis from the final model after the introduction of 19 variables in 8 factors showed statistically similar explanatory power in men (adj. $R^2=0.320$) and in women (adj. $R^2=0.346$). We found that economic condition was the most influential factor in both men (B = 0.278) and women (B = 0.336) except perceived health condition variables. The second most influential variable in life satisfaction was health checkups in men (B = 0.128) and degree of nutritional diet in women (B = 0.145). Those who had experience with chronic diseases also reported significantly lower perceived life satisfaction and this was particularly true of women. Conclusions: The aging society requires an understanding of the lives of elderly individuals. This study explored factors associated with life satisfaction in old age by using a life satisfaction model. The success of an aging society begins with an accurate understanding of the elderly, and thus political attention will need to be focused on this matter.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.207-224
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• 2012

This study estimates the total health expenditure of ambulatory dental care and explores the factors related to disbursements. The study used two waves of a 2008 Korea Health Panel (KHP) survey, of which each wave is composed of 7866 households and 24,659 persons. The KHP includes missing expanses of reimbursement data of the National Health Insurance (NHI), such as out-of-pocket, drugs, and private health insurance. The study estimates total monthly ambulatory dental expenditure and the sub-special categories of dental care. For influential factors analyses, the study exploits log-linear model with age, gender, education, job, equivalence income, the status of chronic diseases, means-tested benefit recipients, private insurance, and the composite deprivation index as independent variables. The total monthly outpatient health spending is estimated to be 102,468 won per household, and for dental, each household spends 31,115 won per month. Older age, means-test recipients, non-regular workers are more likely to spend less money on dental care, whereas private insurers, high income, and those who live in less deprived areas are more likely to spend more money for dental services. From the study we found that the KHP data are more suitable to estimate the total amount of health care markets, especially when the NHI coverage is low, such as for dental care in Korea.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.489-502
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• 2015

This study identifies the relation between recognition relatively deprivation and consumption patterns. The data used were the seventh Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS). The final sample of 1,597 households was selected based on several sampling steps standard weights suggested by KOWEPS were applied. The final sample was subdivided into household recognizing relatively deprivation (51.7%) and non-household recognizing relatively deprivation (48.3%) per level of subjective income and objective income. We derived six consumption patterns from the cluster analysis as per consumption ratio: transportation dominant consumption pattern, essential consumption pattern, other dominant consumption pattern, care attention consumption pattern, private transfer consumption pattern, and education dominant consumption pattern. The results of this study are as follows. The analysis of the determinants of recognizing relatively deprivation in regards to question one found that the household was likely to be relatively deprived when: the head of a household was older, a household had a dual income, children and more total assets then those assessed 1 year ago compared to household living conditions, result of comparing the consumption patterns difference between household recognizing relatively deprivation and non-household recognizing relatively deprivation indicated that household recognizing relatively deprivation was more likely to belong to the transportation dominant consumption pattern, other dominant consumption pattern, and private transfer consumption pattern. The multinomial logistic analysis conducted to understand the determinants affecting the consumption patterns of household recognizing relatively deprivation indicated differences in demographic characteristics, household-related variables, financial variables and perception of economic conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.9-17
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• 2020

The ratio of the deterioration housing in rural area was 29.6%, but it was 18.3% in urban area based on a 2018 survey. In consideration of the point, this study aims to analyze the actual condition of indoor air quality in rural houses to provide basic data for improving the indoor air environment. It was investigated 15housings of Hongseong-gun, Chungchengnam-do. To investigate the correlation between indoor air quality and housing type, both the field survey of housing type and precision diagnosis of concentration of indoor air pollutants such as HCHO, TVOC, Fine dust(PM-10, PM-2.5), CO₂, Radon. The results of this study are as follows. First, according to the average value of each element of rural old housing, the construction year was distributed in 1939~2004, and 12households(80%) living in houses older than 30years have passed for about 46years. As for the housing area, more than 12houses(80%) of 60㎡ or more and 3 houses (20%) of less than 60㎡ were often living in relatively small-scale housing. Second, as a result of measuring indoor air pollutants in rural houses, substances exceeding the standard values were found in HCHO, TVOC, CO₂. Third, in the case of Fine dust and Radon, none of such factors were exceeded the standard. Fourth, there was no significant difference in indoor air quality depending on housing type in rural houses. This paper is expected to contribute to the regional development projects and effective implementation of rural policies.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2020

Eating alone has recently become a very common dietary pattern in modern society. This study investigated the relationship between the frequency of eating alone and health related issues including chronic diseases, depression, and the quality of life (QOL). The 2016 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey provided the basic data for this study. According to the general analysis of 4,910 adults aged over 19 years or older, the average age in the 'eating alone' group was significantly higher (P<0.001), and the ratio of single-person households was significantly higher as the number of times of eating alone increased (P<0.001). Analysis of the relationship between the risk factors of metabolic syndrome according to the number of times eating alone, using logistic regression analysis, showed that the odds ratio of metabolic syndrome in the 'two times eating alone a day' group was approximately 1.3 times higher (OR=1.275) after being corrected for gender, age and energy intake. For the 'three times eating alone a day' group, the metabolic syndrome odds ratio was higher in all models except for model 1 and 5 (P for trend<0.05). The prevalence of depression using patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was higher as the number of eating alone increased, and the QOL was inversly related with the number of meals eating alone (P for trend<0.01). We hope the results of this study will raise awareness of the health of those people who eat alone and lay the groundwork for individuals who eat alone and gain social attention.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.189-207
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• 2013

This study was to examine current situations and factors related to private learning expenses. A household survey involving a nationally representative sample of 976 households and 1,648 3-5 year old children was conducted. The questionnaire was comprised of two parts; the first part investigated the demographic and socio-economic status of the parents. The second part inquired as to the type and cost of private education, during the month of June, 2012. Data were analyzed by chi-square, one-way ANOVA and multiple regression analyses. The findings of the study were: First, 86.7% of parents of pre-school children used private learning. Second, private learning expenses were estimated to be 129,700 Won for 3~5 year old children. And older children and children from higher income and full-time homemaker families used more private learning. Thirds, Income and the child's age affected private learning expenses. Policy measures were suggested based on the findings as follows: Institutional infrastructure should be established: Strong support for national curriculum and the development and dissemination of special programs is needed.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.60-70
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• 2001

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relation between health behavior and public health center utilization among lower income families who earned half of the average Korean family income. The cross-sectional descriptive survey research we conducted was a nationwide randomization sampling among lower income families. The data was collected from July 12 to August 7. 1999 and the total sample was 5.819 household members 1,735 households). There were, three major findings according to these studies. 1. In health behaviors, 26.5% of respondents had a health examination. Among them, 41.5% were in a poor condition of health. In health promotion behaviors, only 37.3% of respondents were doing activities for health maintenance or promotion. 2. In the results of the public health center utilization for the past year. 57.4% of respondents visited one or more times. In addition, 46.2% of respondents wanted to use a visiting nursing service. 3. In the results of multiple logistic regression, we found that less education, larger family size, and medicaid affects more utilization of public health center. In addition, older age, living without a spouse, less education, larger family size, lower family income. and public health center usage affects requests for the visiting nurse service.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.309-320
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• 2023

This study examined the determinants of healthy food purchases before and after COVID-19 in Korea. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were applied to Korea Rural Economic Institute's Food Consumer Behavior Survey data from 2019 to 2021. The analysis revealed a significant decrease in the non-intake of healthy food in 2021 compared to 2019, suggesting the impact of COVID-19 on healthy food consumption. Consumption patterns also changed, with a decrease in direct purchases and an increase in gift-based purchases. Several variables showed significant effects on healthy food intake. Single-person households exhibited a higher probability of eating healthy food after COVID-19. The group perceiving themselves as healthy had a lower likelihood of consuming healthy food pre-COVID-19, but this changed after the pandemic. Online food purchases, eco-friendly food purchases, and nut consumption showed a gradual decrease in the probability of non-intake over time. Gender and age also influenced healthy food intake. The probability of eating healthy food increased in the older age group compared to the younger group, and the probability increased significantly after COVID-19. The probability of buying gifts was significantly higher in those in their 60s, indicating that the path to obtaining healthy food differed by age.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Rural Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.113-124
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• 2023

Purpose: The number of households vulnerable to isolation increases rapidly as social ties decrease, raising concerns about the associated increase in lonely deaths. This study aimed to identify issues related to lonely deaths by analyzing South Korean news articles; and to provide evidence for their use in preventing and managing lonely deaths via community nursing. Methods: This exploratory study analyzed the structure and trends of meaning of lonely deaths by identifying the association between keywords in news articles and lonely deaths. In this study, we searched for all news articles on lonely deaths, covering the period from January 1, 2010, to May 31, 2023. Data preprocessing and purification were conducted, followed by top-keyword extraction, keyword network analysis and topic modeling. The retrieved articles were analyzed using R and Python software. Results: Four main topics were identified: "discovering and responding to lonely death cases", "lonely deaths ending in lonely funerals", "supportive policies to prevent lonely deaths among of older adults", and "local government activities to prevent lonely deaths and support vulnerable populations." Conclusion: Based on these findings, it can be concluded that lonely death is a complex social phenomenon that can be prevented if society shows concern and care. Education related to lonely deaths should be included in nursing curricula for concrete action plans and professional development.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.51-64
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• 2024

Objectives: This study examined the association between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and chronic diseases in elderly Koreans. Methods: Data from the 2019-2021 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Dietary intake and UPF consumption were assessed using the NOVA food classification based on 24-hour recall data from 3,790 participants (aged 65+ years). Participants were divided into 4 groups based on the quartile of energy intake from UPFs. Regions were classified as urban or rural. Multivariable logistic regression was employed to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after controlling for potential confounders. Results: Among the participants, 71.3% resided in urban and 28.7% in rural areas. Compared to the urban elderly, rural participants tended to be older, have lower education and income levels, be more likely to live in single-person households, and have a higher smoking rate (P < 0.05). Urban elderly consumed more UPFs daily (146.1 g) compared to rural residents (126.6 g; P < 0.05). "Sugar-sweetened beverages" were the most consumed category in both regions. "Sweetened milk and its products" and "traditional sauces" were prominent in urban areas, while rural elderly consumed more "traditional sauces" and "distilled alcoholic beverages." Rural areas also had a higher carbohydrate-to-calorie ratio than urban areas. Compared to the lowest quartile of UPF intake, the highest quartile was significantly associated with impaired fasting glucose only in rural areas (AOR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.00-2.19; P for trend = 0.0014). No significant associations were observed for diabetes in either urban or rural areas. Conclusions: This study suggests that high intake of UPFs is associated with increased odds of impaired fasting glucose in rural elderly. Further research is needed to elucidate the specific negative health effects of UPFs in different populations, and targeted efforts should promote healthy diets in both urban and rural areas.